Agree:yep: - would be neat to see the crew load up all supplies/provisions in port prior to departure also! It just seems that some issues are being left off - more interior views, enemy subs etc.:cry: that provisions may not be the top priority of the sim.

If we are allowed to manage our crew with a greater degree than SH3 - was there not mention of a 3 watch system(?) in the interview with the dev team:hmm: - then yes we should have a supply officer who would review the provisions coming aboard and the status of fuel, supplies, and food. He should then be able to report to the Captain about these issues periodically through the patrol. Only issue I wanted to touch base with was that food was never an issue causing a boat to return to base that I ever read about, and if the dev team was concerned with time and space then food would be low on the priority list of items to include in the sim.

Happy Hunting :ping:

Currently reading Blair's excellent "Silent Victory". I'm amazed at how many boats had fresh water problems. Some serious enougn to sicken all of the crew to where their combat effectiveness was nil and they had to return to port. Food didn't seem to be much of an issue except where a boat was sent to pick up some refugee/mercenary types and what was supposed to be 10 ended up being 50 or so. They had to cut back on rations until they got back to port.

Funny how often the 'guests' on board got to experience underwater warfare up close because the skippers would continue to hunt ships on the way back. Bet that was scary.

The average US patrol was 60 days long, with 2 weeks between patrols. No, patrols should not be allowed to run indefinitely, and there should be some sort of limit to patrol lengths. Yes the sub fleet was the best supplied for provisions, but they weren't, and didn't have room for much more than a couple months provisions supply.

I head of some rangers that were been transported by sub for a suprise attack on a japanese atoll. When the sub was been depthcharged (it had been spoted on it's way there) a salior turned to one of them who was looking a little shaken and asked "Are you scared?", to the which the ranger replied "No, I'm just wondering where I dig my foxhole":rotfl:

Think I have to go with the "no limit" option - as Threadfin said, there were very few cases where boats ran "out" of food. The only ones I can think of were boats running evacuation missions from the Philippines. Even then, those boats ran low, but IIRC none of them actually ran completely out of food.

Well US subs had the ability to produce water - electrically powered distilleries. The biggest limitations on patrols were:
1. Damage
1. Torps expended
2. fuel
3. orders. Patrol orders typically gave a date to enter the patrol area and, particularly relevant to this topic, a date to leave the area. You could leave earlier if you were out of torps/damaged, but you HAD to leave by the date specified (usually because another sub was likely to 'inherit' the area).
Some subs would request spares etc en route to their bases while returning so that all was ready when they got there.
While a realistic damage model is vital, I can't see this proposal adding anything.

:)Exactly - I mentioned that earlier also.

Some have made some interesting comments, though, reagrding provisions based on rescue missions etc. When the Tang rescued 20+ pilots on one patrol I am sure food was rationed until the pilots were transfered off or Tang made it to base. Unless this type of senerio is part of the sim then provisions will still be low on the priority list.

Same for damage. Depending on how much realistic damage/equipment breakdown is included in the sim adding the request to get spare parts may not be of any use. However if it was part of the sim - an interesting twist one would have of ensuring a 'hook up" (setting up a course to meet) with the suppling sub and then another interesting twist - two boats on the surface transfering parts both now in danger of being seen from the air or from an enemy sub (opps that was not going to part of the sim:down:). Need to make sure radar/sonar/and lookouts are on their toes!

Happy Hunting :ping:

Yup, that's another good point. If you're given a squad of Army Rangers to insert or something and have to find room for them in your submarine (I hope I'll be able to control them like I control Officers, Petty-Officers, and Sailors now), then that makes a difference food-wise.

And I got to thinking: In Silent Hunter III, even after over 100 sorties (maybe 200), I've never run out of oxygen. Not once. Oxygen just lasts too long for it to be an issue while hunted. But should the limited-o2-feature still remain in Silent Hunter III? Absolutely, even thought it's not really that much of a restriction.

Provisions would be akin to that. You'd maybe almost never run out of food, but it'd still be in the back of your head.

Food in SHIV
 

The chef: "Captain, we are running out of food"

Captain: "Danggit, thats bad.....hmmmm.let me think...."

*long break*

The chef: "well, we have to do something..."

Captain: "....hmmmm... HEY! What about that german dude that deserted and joined our submarine??"

The chef: "You are thinking about eating HIM.........?"

Captain: "yes i am!!!!"

The chef: "well, he isnt usable to anything else..."

Over the submarines intercom: "This is the captain speaking! Could seaman Bernard report for "kitchen duty"! Seaman Bernard to "kitchen duty"!"

:D:D

US boats didn't run out because they came home before that was an issue, not because they carried so much it was impossible for it to be an issue.
After maybe 70 days, I'd expect to see crew morale dropping, then efficiency, etc.

Doesn't have to be hit a wall and the crew dies. There should be a penalty for staying out much more than 60 days.

tater

You have got to be kidding....

Will we have to pay renown for the food too ? Next thing you know we will have to make sure the bathroom is available or the sailors will pee on the floor and get in a bad mood ala "The Sims'.

You already have people pissing and moaning when they run out of fuel and cant get home. What happens when you run out of food ? Starve to death ?

Sorry Id like to concentrate on hunting, killing, hiding, not nutrition.

choices
 

I think not only should we have to manage food supplies, perhaps we could be responsible for setting the daily menu. That could encourage women to play the game. Management of tableware could be instituted as well, with crockery broken in depth charge attacks affecting the morale of a coffee-deprived crew. The horror!

We should model the oven. Burn the food and torpedoes start missing the target. Dive times suffer.:shifty:

Another unmodeled aspect is that submarines have no heads. These heads, in addition to being few for a crew of 60+ were notoriously difficult to operate with messy, smelly and sometimes dangerous consequences for ineptitude. If the head malfunctioned crew morale would suffer and perhaps we could reduce the dive times of submarines to simulate having to come to the surface to deficate.:smug:

We could also be required to restuff the stuffing box once in awhile or burn up the prop shaft, or perhaps spring an unacceptable leak. Actually turning the cranks to open and close the several dozen air and water valves on the ship (an add-on product available at your local Wal-Mart, only $150.00) is essential to proper immersion. They could be rigged up to your house plumbing so they spray water all over you and your computer if operated in the wrong sequence.:doh: edit: And it would give immersion a really cool double meaning.

Naw! Let's leave it alone.:rotfl:

I don't want to have to "buy" food, I just want patrols limited to a realistic time. Doesn't matter to me, I just go home in the right amount of time.

Easier might be to simply require that when you are sent out on patrol that you RTB in X days to get some level of success.

Did tenders carry foodstuffs as well as fuel and munitions ?

Hell did they even really carry munitions ?